Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 468

Chapter 468: Chapter 469: Signature Chapter 468: Chapter 469: Signature Helena confirmed with Fenna several times to make sure she wasn't experiencing auditory hallucinations.

“So, what you mean is, Captain Duncan Ebnomal, the owner of Homeloss and the master of the shadows in subspace, has begun rebuilding the Exiled Fleet after the Frost incident, and his first action… was for you to find a loophole to get a special transit pass for his new ship?”

Fenna nodded stiffly with embarrassment and hesitation in her voice, but she still had to admit, “Yes… that's what he told me.”

“And his purpose for having you arrange this transit pass was to allow the new members of the Exiled Fleet to continue running trade routes across the Endless Sea?”

“…Yes, that's also what he told me.”

Helena looked up in the direction where apparition 004 had sunk into the ground, then back at Fenna standing in front of her, and again looked up, scanning back and forth several times before she couldn't help herself, “The Tomb of the Nameless King even updated the apparition list today! Because of Duncan Ebnomal's actions, the world now has three unnumbered apparitions! The Four Divine Churches will be busy next; we may need many people and a lot of time to figure out what these unnumbered apparitions mean–including that 'Exiled Fleet'!”

“Yes,” Fenna said, looking down, “but… he really hopes the Deep Sea Church can issue a special transit pass for the White Oak.”

Helena looked up and quietly stared into Fenna's eyes.

Fenna looked down, trying to express her current embarrassment and regret through her attitude.

However, her efforts in posture were almost futile.

After all, the Female Pope was 1.7 meters tall, while she was close to 1.9 meters.

Helena stepped back two paces without a sound.

“Two things,” said the Female Pope, seemingly taking a light breath, her face serene, regaining her usual dignified and elegant demeanor, and she said to Fenna, “First, you may not issue this pass, even though you still officially hold the title of Judge and Saint, you are also a member of Homeloss, which violates the rules of recusal. Fenna, you should understand this.”

Fenna's face immediately showed embarrassment and regret, and she unconsciously blurted out, “And the second thing…”
Helena slightly closed her eyes, as if steadying her spirit, “The second thing is, I will sign the pass.”

Fenna seemed unable to react for a moment and stared wide-eyed at the Female Pope in front of her.

Helena seemed not to notice the sudden confusion and doubt on Fenna's face, she just exhaled softly and said, “So, which style of transit pass do you think Duncan Ebnomal would like?”

Fenna continued to stare dumbfounded.

She only heard the Pope's voice continue, “The transit pass will be ready soon. I will pray in the Storm Cathedral and listen to the divine revelation of the Goddess. If there truly is no issue, this pass will be sent to your hands through a secret rite, maintain the ceremonial site on your side and wait for the message.”

As she finished speaking, Helena's figure had already started to fade and gradually disappeared from the gathering square.

In the depths of the Endless Sea, a secret trade route twisted and concealed by transcendent forces, the majestic and solemn Church Ark was slowly cruising along the frontiers of civilization.

The steam core outputted surging power, divine steam condensed into persistent clouds above the Church Ark, and melodious bells sounded, declaring the successful conclusion of a Spiritual Energy assembly.

In the deepest part of the Church Ark, submerged within the “lower hold” of the Endless Sea, braziers blazed fiercely, driving away the darkness and shadows, and the Female Pope standing between two braziers slowly opened her eyes.

This lady with a dignified temperament took a deep breath, her face showing a complex and entangled expression, and at almost the same moment, an aged and hoarse voice reached her ears, “Oh, you seem troubled, young lady.”

Helena looked up, glancing over at a nearby place illuminated by flickering firelight, where one could see an intertwining “pillar” of what appeared to be blood vessels and nerves, with various artificial tubes and electrodes connected to those thick nerve strands, flickering with light, brightening and dimming intermittently.

“Have you been awake all this time?” Helena steadied herself and politely conversed with this mythical leviathan.

“I didn't want to wake up, but it's too noisy,” the beast bearing the Church Ark spoke, “Every time you have one of those Spiritual Energy channeling assemblies, it's very loud, and today it was exceptionally so.”

“…Sorry, some things happened, and my spirit was not very peaceful this time,” Helena said, “I need to pray next and seek a revelation from the Goddess.”

“Something you want to communicate to the Queen?” the aged, hoarse voice asked, “All right, I won't disturb you. I hope this time you get a clearer answer, and give my regards to the Queen, by the way.”

Helena hummed a response, then turned around to face the brazier closest to her, closed her eyes, and began to pray earnestly.

In the vast dim space, silence enveloped the surroundings, and time seemed to stand still, with only the light and shadows in the brazier dancing as if constructing a communication across the veil–after an indeterminate period, Helena finally ended her prayer and slowly opened her eyes.

She frowned, seeming to feel that this prayer was different from usual.

The revelation from the Goddess… as ambiguous as ever, but in the vague “guidance,” there seemed to be something mixed in there, like… emotions.

She couldn't make out what this vague and unfamiliar feeling was, but after bowing her head in thought for a long time, she still confirmed the main part of the revelation: it was a permission and recognition.

Helena sighed and then turned to look at the nerve cord strewn with pipes, cables, and electrodes, “The Goddess has bestowed a revelation, and I've also conveyed my regards on the side.”

There was no response in her ears–the Leviathan Beast that carried the Church Ark seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Helena was used to this. After greeting the beast, she reached into the darkness beside her–and a blank passage document appeared in her hand, as if out of thin air.

After a quick check to ensure she had the right document, the Female Pope took up a pen and swiftly signed her name and some necessary content. Then she casually approached the nearest brazier, bowed her head and muttered the corresponding prayer, and cast the document into the flames.

In the blink of an eye, the papers and credentials with her name were consumed by the fire, turning into specks of light dust, dissipating from the real world.

Fenna opened her eyes in the cabin, gasping for air the moment she regained consciousness.

The temporary ceremonial site constructed with crude methods was indeed no match for the “Tide Chamber” inside the Church; the sensation of being submerged by the sea felt particularly intense when she returned, so much that even she, a Storm Saint, felt a bit uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, the gathering of spiritual energy had successfully concluded.

After taking a few breaths and steadying herself, Fenna organized the events of the gathering in her mind and prepared to patiently wait for Pope Helena's reply and the “passage document,” which was highly likely to be delivered via “arcane practices.”

Theoretically, several prayer ceremonies still needed to be performed on the Pope's end before the passage document could be prepared–even if they skipped the step of “inspecting the verifying ship” for various reasons, the prayers to the Goddess were indispensable.

However, the next second, when Fenna's peripheral vision caught sight of the hastily arranged makeshift altar, her expression suddenly froze.

The thick candles serving as the ceremonial brazier had somehow burned out. The candle stands theoretically capable of burning for a whole day were now only piles of ashes and wax tears. Amidst the last wisps of dissipating blue smoke, a “passage document” still emitting a faint light dust quietly lay on the floor.

So soon?

Frowning with confusion, Fenna stepped forward, picked up the documents, and scrutinized their content.

A standard permission document, recording the basic information of the Whitewood and its transcendent factors, as well as the Church's seals, a passage document original, and a copy for routine customs inspection.

All were signed by Pope Helena.

There was no problem with the documents–they could not possibly be problematic.

It was just too fast; the documents had arrived as soon as she had returned from the gathering.

Fenna carefully checked the papers and credentials for a good while. After some time, she suddenly heard a voice in her mind, that of Pope Helena–
“The things Captain Duncan asked for have been sent by 'secret rites.'”
Fenna looked down at the items in her hand, dispelling the minor doubts in her heart, “Yes, I have received them.”

Then she sighed, thanked the Pope, and bid her farewell before gathering the documents and hastily leaving the cabin.

Duncan was still waiting on the deck–at the sight of Fenna quickly emerging onto the deck, a smile appeared on his face, “You were gone for quite some time, was the gathering successful?”

“The gathering was… successful,” Fenna hesitated, her mind immediately recalling the three “unnumbered anomalies” that had appeared on the parchment she carried from vision 004. With complex feelings, she glanced at the smiling “principal” in front of her and passed the passage document just transferred from the Storm Cathedral, “But first, take a look at this–the passage document you wanted.”

“Passage document?” Duncan momentarily froze, certainly having discussed this matter with Fenna but not expecting her to have the passage document ready so soon after the gathering, leaving him somewhat bewildered by such incredible efficiency.

Nevertheless, he took the documents and credentials from her, scanning the papers while absently expressing his amazement, “Your efficiency is truly something… Do you carry these things with you all the time?”

“This… Well, it's a bit complicated,” Fenna said with an awkward expression, “These documents aren't signed by me. They were signed by Her Grace Helena. She heard…”

She had barely gotten half the sentence out when she was abruptly interrupted by Duncan, who suddenly looked up, “Wait, who did you say signed these?”

Fenna was stunned, unaware of why the captain was reacting so strongly, “It was… Her Grace Helena. Is there a problem?”

Duncan did not reply; instead, he just looked into Fenna's eyes for a long time before looking down again, intently staring at the signatures on the passage documents.

His gaze landed on the seal at the end of the certificate.

The signatory–Gomona.

The document, the original certificate, and the copy, all three signatures.

All were so.

Chapter end

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